The invention relates to an air guiding system for a vehicle, particularly for a passenger car, which is arranged in a rear area of the vehicle and comprises at least one central main air guiding element, which can be displaced from a moved-in inoperative position into a moved-out operative position, lateral auxiliary air guiding elements being displaceable together with the or each central main air guiding element.
DE 30 19 150 A1 shows a vehicle air guiding system arranged in an upper rear area of the vehicle and having an air guiding element that can be displaced from an inoperative position, in which it is integrated in the shaping of the rear area flush with the surface, into a moved-out operative position. The air guiding element is constructed as an aerofoil which, by way of an operating device, can be displaced or changed between the inoperative position into the operative position.
DE 43 05 090 A1 also discloses a vehicle air guiding system for a vehicle, arranged in a rear area of the vehicle and having an air guiding element that can be displaced from an inoperative position into a moved-out operative position. The air guiding element is formed by a rear spoiler arranged in a recessed receiving device of the vehicle body and can be displaced by an operating device between the inoperative position and the operative position.
The air guiding systems known from the above-mentioned DE 30 19 150 A1 and DE 43 05 090 A1 increase the rear axle output coefficient (cah-value) of the motor vehicle while maintaining the same or even improving the drag coefficient (cw-value) these known air guiding elements each having the same transverse dimension in the inoperative position and in the operative position.
Yet unpublished DE 10 2005 030 203, discloses a vehicle air guiding system having a central main air guiding element as well as two lateral auxiliary air guiding elements. The auxiliary air guiding elements allow the transverse dimension of the air guiding system to be enlarged in the operative position and particularly the rear axle output coefficient to be further increased. The adjusting movement of the lateral auxiliary air guiding elements with respect to the central main air guiding element takes place when the main air guiding element has been displaced from the inoperative position into the operative position. The adjustment of the auxiliary air guiding elements with respect to the main air guiding element therefore takes place after, and uncoupled from, the displacement of the main air guiding element.
An object of the present invention is to provide a novel vehicle air guiding system in which the auxiliary air guiding elements can essentially be linearly or translatorily adjusted with respect to the at least one main air guiding element in a direction transversely to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in order to change these from an also moved-in inoperative position into an also moved-out operative position. Each auxiliary air guiding element is guided in a guiding device and is movable along the latter.
According to an advantageous further development of the invention, in the air guiding device according to the invention, the adjustment of the lateral auxiliary air guiding elements is coupled to the displacement of the at least one central main air guiding element during its or their change between the inoperative position and the operative position. Thereby, the lateral auxiliary air guiding elements can be changed isochronously or simultaneously with the displacement of the, or each, central main air guiding element with respect to the, or each, central main air guiding element from the inoperative position into the operative position and from the operative position into the inoperative position, respectively. In this case, the lateral auxiliary air guiding elements are adjusted with respect to the at least one central main air guiding element only linearly or translatorily transversely to the vehicle longitudinal direction. Within a very short time and in a simple manner, the transverse dimension of the air guiding system according to the invention can thereby be adapted.
Preferably, an operating device is associated with the auxiliary air guiding element for the latter's linear displacement with respect to the at least one central main air guiding element. A coupling device is applied to the respective operating device to couple the linear adjustment of the respective auxiliary air guiding element with respect to the at least one central main air guiding element to the displacement of the latter main air guiding element.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.